


Keeping Count

by BarPurple



Series: Spin Me a Yarn [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Curses, Fluff, Gen, Knitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple





	Keeping Count

“Weeping Angels are attacking the town!”

Everyone in the diner sighed and finished their mouthful of food before turning to Leroy and waiting for him to explain his latest tidings of disaster. He snorted at the calm response.

“Well don’t let me worry you all.”

Emma rolled her eyes at him; “Come on Leroy, Weeping Angels aren’t even real,” Emma threw Snow White a quick questioning look, “Are they?”

Snow shrugged; “Not as far as I know.”

Partially reassured Emma turned back to Leroy, “Probably not real. Tell us what’s going on so we can work out what’s really attacking.”

Leroy gave them a rapid description of citizens turned to stone all over town. Emma bit back her automatic response, now was not the time to get in to a debate with Leroy over what Weeping Angels could and couldn’t do. Snow shook her head; “Sounds more like a gorgon, or a basilisk.”

Killian tapped the counter with his hook; “We would have noticed a basilisk. They’re huge and have a foul stink,” Emma raised her eyebrows at him, “Trust me Swan the whole kingdom of Maine would know if one of those vile serpents had come to Storybrooke.”

“Okay, so something’s turning people to stone. Let’s go have a look at one of …”

The door opened and admitted Sneezy. Ruby automatically handed him some tissues from a box she kept on the counter for him. 

“Ati-choo. Thank you.”

Leroy was boggling at his fellow dwarf; “Brother you were stone a minute ago!”

Sneezy peered at him through bleary eyes; “I know I was. It wore off.”

“So, what were you doing right before it happened?”

They had to wait while Sneezy blew his nose and then sneezed twice more. Emma tried not to grind her teeth; getting information out of this dwarf was always a test of her patience.

“I walked into the pawnshop.”

There were a few hissed gasps. Gold had been so good for so long, but obviously with Belle out of town at a library conference he’d slipped back into bad habits. Emma held up her hand to stop the muttering.

“Was Gold there?”

“Yeah, he was behind the counter knitting I … achoo … heard him counting and said hello, and then poof.”

Granny leant over the counter; “He was counting? Up or down?”

Sneezy frowned and thought about that for a second; “Up. Is that important?”

Granny rolled her eyes and handed her crossbow to Ruby, (nobody had seen her pick it up, but when trouble was mentioned it was in her hand like magic), and nodded firmly to Emma.

“I think I know what’s going on. Everyone stay here, I got this.”

She strolled out of the dinner without any further explanation. Emma started after her, but was stopped by Snow’s hand on her arm.

“Should we go with her?”

Snow held up her empty cup for Ruby to refill; “Nope.”

“Why not?”

Ruby grinned; “We’ve seen that look on Granny’s face before. Gold is in a world of trouble.”

Killian hummed thoughtfully; “Maybe we should go and watch the fun?”

Snow and Ruby both snapped their heads round and glared at him; “No!”

 

Granny walked calmly into Gold’s shop. He was exactly where Sneezy said he would be, behind the counter knitting and counting under his breath. As she approached he raised the volume of his count.

“Forty-seven. Forty-eight.”

She held her tongue and waited until he reached the end of the row and lowered his needles. She pointed at the roll of old paper in front of him.

“My Grandma always said anyone who interrupted her while she was knitting that pattern would be turned to stone. I guess that threat carries a bit more weight with you, hey?”

Gold gave her a grin.

“The parchment does carry that curse. I suspect you understood what counting out loud means from a knitter, so never triggered it.”

Granny nodded and folded her arms across her chest; “And I suppose you didn’t think that removing the curse would be an idea?”

Gold’s expression was one of perfect innocence; “I would never alter a family heirloom,” he shrugged, a mischievous glint appeared in his eye, “And certain people have received a valuable lesson in manners.”

Granny was trying not to laugh, but her mirth showed on her face. How her Grandma had come by a cursed knitting pattern she’d never know, but she wished she’d been a round to see it in action. It was tempting to let someone else walk in and interrupt Gold, but now Leroy had alerted the town that would cause more problems than it was worth. She composed herself and pointed out; “They think you’ve turn dark again.”

Gold swallowed, not from any fear of the town, but Granny would bet a month’s rent he was worried about what Belle would say when she got home.

“Ah, well maybe I best explain things to Sheriff Swan.”

“Come on, they’re at the diner,” She nodded towards the knitting, “How are you getting on with the pattern?”

“It’s quite the challenge. I dread to think what sort of mess I’d have been in without the curse.”

Emma wore a look of sheer disbelief as Gold and Granny explained about the cursed knitting pattern. Her eyebrows rose even further as Leroy clipped Sneezy around the back of the head, and Killian nodded in understanding. Leroy shrugged at her.

“It’s a great idea, sister. Losing count on a pattern row is a nightmare.”

Emma sighed and called Sydney. The next morning the Storybrooke Mirror carried a story about people turning briefly to stone and a Public Safety Warning explained exactly why interrupting a knitter when they were counting out loud was a bad idea.


End file.
